Cub Swanson: Conor McGregor is a nobody right now

Conor McGregor has wasted no time in announcing his presence in the UFC. He will make his second trip to the octagon this weekend at UFC Fight Night 26 when he meets Max Holloway, and he has generated a lot of interest with his brash statements in addition to his exploits in the cage. Recently, the Irish fighter spoke to our own Steph Daniels and brought up top contender Cub Swanson, describing their twitter interaction over the last few months. He pulled no punches, saying that he "doesn't give a sh*t about him" and that he saw Cub in Sweden and he looked like his body fat percentage was high.

Well, now it's Cub's turn. Swanson was a guest on MMA Roasted's podcast, and he responded to McGregor's statements (transcribed by Fighters Only):

"I like the kid, I really see a future for him in the UFC because he is talented. But he runs his mouth and you’ve got to be careful when you do that."

"For some reason he decided to take a shot at me. I’m a fan of many fighters but as soon as they start looking at me the fighter in me comes out and I’m like, ‘You better watch your damn mouth.’"

"That would be a fight that I would love to do once he makes a name for himself but right now he is still a nobody. If he lives up to the hype he can fight me down the road but for now he has to fight somebody in the top ten first."

Swanson has a point. There's nothing wrong with doing some talking, but McGregor does need a few more wins to earn his place in the cage with Swanson. That's not saying anything about either man's skill level, just the hierarchy of the divisions in the UFC. McGregor is 1-0 in the UFC, while Swanson is on a five-fight winning streak with four finishes, and is currently the number 4-ranked challenger in the UFC's 145-pound division.

Perhaps we will see this fight down the road one day. But right now, it's just a bit of barking between two dogs that aren't going to be sharing the same cage anytime soon.